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Residents with contaminated water call on Michigan Senate to reject “No Stricter than Federal” bill

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

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LANSING, MI – On Tuesday, October 10th, Clean Water Action members and Plainfield Township residents gathered at the Michigan State Capitol to hold a press conference highlighting the stories of communities impacted by contaminated water and calling on the Senate and Governor Snyder to reject the “No Stricter than Federal” bill being considered by the Senate.

Since 2010, state lawmakers have introduced the “No Stricter than Federal” bill which would bar Michigan from passing any rule stricter than a federal standard unless the state can demonstrate there are "exceptional circumstances" that justify a more stringent rule.

The press conference featured remarks from Clean Water Action and five residents of Kent County, where new contaminants including PFAS were recently discovered around a former Wolverine World Wide tannery sludge dump. The “No Stricter” rule would make it difficult for state leaders to protect the public from these emerging contaminants.

“HB 4205 would prohibit Michigan from having anything stronger than minimal federal standards in place to protect our water. The Great Lakes contain over 20% of the world’s fresh water and are a drinking water source for more than 40 million people,” said Sean McBrearty, campaign organizer at Clean Water Action. “The same minimal standards that apply to Arizona and Texas are not sufficient for protecting the Great Lakes. Michigan can and must do better than the minimal federal rules to protect our water.”

“With newly discovered toxins like PFAS in Kent County, now it not the time for Michigan to cede our authority to protect residents to the federal government.” Said Plainfield Township resident, Mike McIntosh

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Clean Water Action is Michigan’s largest grassroots conservation group with over 250,000 members across the state. Through direct advocacy and education they organize Michigan residents to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources. Learn more at www.cleanwateraction.org/mi